


Sweeties by Your door

by SilyaBeeodess



Series: Tales of the Fire Spirits [1]
Category: A Hat in Time (Video Game)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:21:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22416934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilyaBeeodess/pseuds/SilyaBeeodess
Summary: In search of food, a young fire spirit stumbles upon a young princess more frightful than she appears.
Series: Tales of the Fire Spirits [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1613302
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26





	Sweeties by Your door

_Put burnt sweeties by your door  
And a fire spirit may keep you warm._

It was a silly, little rhyme for silly humans and it wasn't even _entirely_ true. They weren't picky: They would take nearly any burnt food—the pie crust that stuck to a tin pan, the fatty, greasy oils leftover from fried meat, anything at all would do—and it could be left anywhere within reach. Nevertheless, the fire spirits themselves had come to adopt the saying over the years. Other tongues besides their own were strange, so they rarely grasped more than a small collection of words and phrases, and if that phrase helped humans remember to think of them then it was worth keeping.

The fire spirits may as well have lived in Subcon Forest from the beginning of time. They were the creatures of local legend: They could be mischievous tricksters or helpful house sprites. Most kept to themselves deep in the woods, but there were plenty living not-so-secretly within the village, swiping goodies to feed their fires. Sometimes a particular villager came to their liking. In such a case, a human may find themselves swept off the woodland trails to the fire spirits' domain—at least until they grew bored and sent the poor soul back on their way. Other times, they'd grow attached to a household and keep the hearths lit in return for a human's kindness.

They were neither good nor evil—they could barely even understand those concepts in the way humans could. All that really mattered to a fire spirit was whether or not something was warm and bright. They liked their warm fires, and warm homes, and warm people. Their very existences appeared to hinge around those things, from the first embers surrounding their birth to their combustions at death to the fluttering sparks that marked the beginning of their life cycles all over again. It was their purpose to burn bright and then burn out.

The village fire spirits could, however, become quite territorial of the households they looked after. Not many wanted to share their humans or the treats they laid out for them. It made it hard for younger spirits to find a place of their own. There was a time when the rulers of the Subcon had looked after the fire spirits as closely as their own subjects, but that was generations ago. Now, well…

After some time exploring the outskirts of the village, a tiny fire spirit stumbled upon the manor. It was so young that it hadn't yet shed the plain, golden fur that tipped its legs and tail for the vibrant, multi-colored fluff of its elders. It wasn't as strong as them either. It could, however, recall the memories of its former life—though, more likely, it was a memory from even further back in time—enough that it knew the trails that led it there. That there should've been food to find.

Not that the creature _needed_ to eat, but it was still an integral part of their lives. Food meant fuel, fuel meant growing bigger, stronger, burning brighter. All the spirit wanted was something to catch and burn, to feel something scorch and broil within its stomach.

However, the manor gave it a much different impression than what it remembered. From what it could tell the place looked the same, it just didn't _feel_ the same. Even in the middle of a summer day, it seemed somehow darker, colder, and that was _not_ to a fire spirit's liking…

The foxlike flame was about to leave and begin its search elsewhere when its nose twitched, catching the faint scent of smoke. _Food…_ It paused, then sniffed the air again. It was coming from around the back of the manor. All at once, the fire spirit forgot its reservations and chased after the scent. _Food, food!_ its thoughts seemed to sing.

At first, it couldn't find anything—the creature much too small to see the window above dimming with smoke. Then a startled, feminine shriek pierced the air, spooking the fire spirit around the corner of the building, _"My cookies!"_

The shudders were forced open with a loud bang and a tall figure appeared out of the billowing smoke that curled around them and spilled outside in a dark cloud, now free from the confines of the manor. A harsh clang of a metal tray followed as the ruined confections were slammed onto the windowsill in a poor attempt to save them. Of course, it was too late.

The pretty face of a young girl with golden locks stared down at the tray in disappointed horror. Almost all of the cookies were charred black, left forgotten in the oven for far too long. After the initial shock had passed, she dipped her head low in shame. "Mother won't be happy…" she whispered to herself, her lower lip starting to quiver, "She'll be back soon. What am I supposed to do now…?"

Meanwhile, the fire spirit stared at the girl from its hiding place. Actually no, it was staring at the cookies: Oblivious to the girl, it was fixated on them. Again, its nose twitched, _Food!_

The creature moved with a soft tread that made no sound on the fresh grass. As it continued to stare, a familiar rhyme came to its young mind. The human girl was leaving those out for _them_ , right? They had to be for them. Overly eager, the young pup jumped up for the tray.

The girl was so swept away in her own thoughts that she didn't notice the fire spirit until—again—it was too late. As the creature grabbed the edge of the tray, it slipped it from her limp hold. She gave a surprised yelp as it fell from the window with both the cookies and the fire spirit. The tray was _centimeters_ away from snuffing out the fox as they landed, the distracted creature already scrambling for crumbs as the hot metal landed with another, if more muffled, clang beside it.

 _Food, food!_ A whole pile of goodies all for the fire spirit! It wobbled about on its thin legs, dipping low to collect the mess of cookies in its arms all while taking in their burnt scent as it moved. A pleased, twittering hum to a song without measure reverberated from its throat. All the while, all the girl could do was watch on as it then would pause, take a small bite from its spoils, and then begin the song again.

After a long minute, she finally smiled:

" _Put burnt sweeties by your door  
And a fire spirit may keep you warm."_

It took a moment longer for the fire spirit to finally register the girl's presence. It felt her staring at it and blinked up at her with curious eyes and a whole bundle of crumbs still cradled against its chest. Normally, one of its kind wouldn't think anything much of most humans—it usually took time for them to grow accustomed to mankind before they picked their favorites—but there was something… off, about the child. Not in a good way. There were especially warm humans that fire spirits grew closest to the easiest, but instead the child somehow seemed to radiate with a cold chill.

It did not like it. It did not like it one bit. However, it wasn't about to run from its goodies and the smile the girl gave the spirit was such a strong _illusion_ of warmth that it kept the curious pup where it was despite its core instincts. So it continued to eat and let the girl continue to watch.

That only went on for so long, however. After a few minutes-in a sudden, swift action—the fire spirit found itself caught in the girl's own arms as she leaned out the window and snatched it, pulling it back inside after her with a light giggle on her lips. The creature twisted its body in a manic manner and kicked out its legs to escape, but while keeping a desperate hold on the cookies and with its teeth and claws still weak with youth it was a vain attempt. The child easily ran with it into the parlor, only letting go after she had plopped down onto the floor with it in front of an empty hearth.

As soon as it could, the fire spirit leapt out of her embrace and scrambled a few, large and cautious steps away—caught between her and wall. It stared at her, wide-eyed. She stared back with expectant, child-like wonder, despite the off feeling never leaving her aura. A long pause settled over the two of them before a thought seemed to occur to the girl and she rose slightly, reaching over for a log piled with others by the wall and flung it into the hearth. Then she settled down once again.

It still took a few seconds for the fire spirit to understand what she wanted. He looked at the log, then to the cookies, then to the girl. Its eyes narrowed slightly with a kind of natural-born pride. No one told a fire spirit what to do. Its warmth wasn't for trade: It was gift, and not one quickly bestowed. Were she any other human, it would've already tried to run off with its goodies—out of the manor and back to the safety of the forest.

But she wasn't a normal, little girl. And it was just a young, tiny fire spirit. And—dare the creature admit it—it _feared_ the cold that seemed to emanate around her.

After building up some of its strength by pausing to eat a little while longer, the creature gave in to the child's wishes. It lit the log. Her eyes twinkling, she made a quiet gasp and clapped excitedly at the sight. Then, remembering the chore of the messy kitchen, she left the pup alone.

Immediately after, the fire spirit fled the manor with as many burnt and broken cookies as it could carry in tow.


End file.
